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Bridal Veil Mountain Resort: The New 11,500-Acre Ski Resort Proposed for British Columbia

Martin Kuprianowicz
Martin Kuprianowicz
Big plans are in the works to turn the Fraser Valley into a major ski destination. It would be bigger than the three North Shore ski hills combined. But as Ted Chernecki reports, the idea is in its infancy and already has some competition for the site.
A new, 11,500-acre ski area may be coming to the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. The proposed all-season resort would be bigger than the three North Shore ski areas—Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mt. Seymour Resort—combined. Shown here is one of the potential sites for its alpine village. | Photo courtesy BVMR.

A new ski area is being proposed for British Columbia—a big one. Located next to the Trans-Canada highway near the Canadian city of Chilliwack, Bridal Veil Mountain Resort would be an 11,500-acre all-season resort with two sightseeing gondolas. Once approved, BVMR would be located in the Upper Fraser Valley, on the highlands immediately south of the Fraser River, extending over Area D and Area E of the Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of Chilliwack.

According to the project’s website:

“Bridal Veil Mountain Resort is proposed as an all-season mountain resort that has the potential to equal B.C.’s premier destination resorts. It will be built on the principles of meaningful participation by the Stó:lō Communities, the highest environmental standards, First Nations land stewardship values, and an unparalleled four-season guest experience that collectively will strengthen and elevate the region’s recreation and tourism offerings. The project area is proposed for the mountains east of the City of Chilliwack, wholly within S’ólh Téméxw, the traditional and unceded lands of the Stó:lō people.”

The proposed resort would have a base village next to the highway and two gondolas to shuttle guests from the lower area to a vehicle-free, mountain recreation area where all the fun stuff would take place—skiing and snowboarding in the winter, mountain biking and hiking in the summer, and other recreational activities. According to Global News, the proposal is led by B.C. residents Norm Gaukel and Robert Wilson, with the support of Whistler-based Brent Harley and Associates, a resort planning and design firm. BVMR’s planning process includes multiple formal opportunities for involvement and feedback from First Nations, local governments, stakeholders, and the general public. The project’s website reads:

“At this stage, we are not presenting a finished product for approval. Instead, we are presenting an exciting concept we look forward to exploring and developing with all First Nations in S’ólh Téméxw, the City of Chilliwack, and the Fraser Valley Regional District. Refining the resort concept through this collaborative process will ensure the end result respects and responds to their collective values and objectives.”

The project’s website claims that if skiing participation rates at BVMR match those found in Metro Vancouver, ski trips from Fraser Valley residents would grow by 260%. The project estimates that the resort could create more than 1,800 full-time equivalent jobs and generate more than one million visits each year, Global News reports.

If constructed, the resort would be bigger than ski resorts Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mt. Seymour Resort combined. 

At this time, BVMR is still in the ‘Expression of Interest’ stage of British Columbia’s all-season resort development application process. See the graph below for an overview of the Province’s All-Season Resort Review Process.

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ByMartin Kuprianowicz
Skier, storyteller, and Editor-in-Chief at SnowBrains.
5 Comments

  • rivers of tree hugger tears are flowing

    honestly we will never have a better skiing future if new resorts are banned from opening

    we will forever talk about the “good ole days” when skiing was fun enjoyable

    you can develop land eco-friendly w/o selling out to the corporations and without the developments. the tree huggers need to chill the F out and come up with a way so that the skiing experience we enjoyed in our youth won’t be an ever fading memory.

    Reply

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